Microsoft Launches New Xbox 360 Console for Families

[AZRaiderH8r]

I think it sounds like a great deal for the family. My only concern would be about the storage space required. Kids don't usually need as much space, but it's a matter of if you want to purchase it up front or possibly get it down the road.

That being said, I think it's a great idea for MS to offer this around the holidays, and your boys are going to be thrilled either way!

[lovekeiiy]

actually, M$ made it requirement that no game require the HDD because not everyone has it. All the XBL games are suppose to fit onto the memory card (MC). They don't all fit on to the old, which is only 64mb; Castlevania was one of the reason the rule was changed to the 256mb card. I'm presuming the larger card was already coming.

The profiles don't take up that much space. M$ recommends using the MC to store profiles, especially if the person is going to taking the their profile to various 360. Yes, you can do the gamertag recovery, but there is a risk of it getting corrupted. I find the more games on my profile, the longer it takes to recover.

I think the HDD is a good device to have because game saves can be rather large and take up a lot of space on the MC.

As for XBL, you don't need the HDD. THe MC will work just fine. You just need to have some kind of broadband internet connection.

[namehater]

i think that is the route we will take, thanks for all the input guys!

[BrewCityUpstart]

Is it able to take a HDD?

[namehater]

im under the impression that its just a repackaged and updated core

[Peench]

Originally Posted by BrewCityUpstart

Is it able to take a HDD?

Yes, it should.

[HEAVYSET]

First of all, hello, new member here.

Secondly, I revived this thread because I've been struggling to decide which 360 I need, Arcade or Pro. Or, to be more specific, hdd or not.

I've never played a 360 yet. I've been holding out for 2 years waiting for 3 stars to align: A price cut, Halo 3, and a major hardware revision, ala the falcon mb. Obviously, the time has come.

With the memory card included with the Arcade for saves, I can't really think of a reason I would need a hdd. I don't use my own playlists. I'm not interested in dl-ing XBL arcade games. I'm not even interested in the ones in the bundle. I'm only interested in 2 games for sure, the aforementioned Halo 3, and the Orange Box. Bioshock is a maybe.

I don't need to play a demo to decide if a game interests me or not, so no need to dl those. I don't have any use for gamer pics and other such personal stuff, so no need for extra storage. I just want a 360 with the ability to save game progress.

I'm glad I read in this thread that Halo 3 loads fine without a hdd. I wonder about the OB and Bioshock? That's my only fear, that a future game that grabs my interest will require the hdd.

On the face of it, the Pro bundle looks like the better deal, but I don't need Forza 2 and Marvel whatever. I don't need a headset, because I no longer have an interest in XBL. And unless you guys can think of a reason otherwise, I don't think I need a hdd. I first thought I could trade all that stuff towards a game, but then remembered I'd have to hang on to all of it in case I have to return the unit.

I'm thinking it might be better to get an Arcade unit, and get Bioshock with the savings. I've seen reports that some Arcade units are using the new falcon mbs.

What do you think? Did I miss any real need for a hdd?

[Peench]

Welcome aboard HEAVYSET!

That's a tough choice. For two reasons I'll suggest the premium.

1. The headest. You may have sworn off Xbox Live for now, but once you have finished the single player campaign of Halo 3, you will want to play more. And with all of the options available for playing custom games in multiplayer with Halo3, you will want to play them. In fact, once you start playing with PGL members, you won't want to go back (if I may be so modest! ).

2. The hard drive. Once you delve deeply into multiplayer world, you will want to download different maps that either you have created yourself in forge, or that others have created. You may also want to save and then upload photos or videos of in game footage. You may also want to save game variants from awesome game types that you have tried. I believe those all save to your hard drive. You may find your 256K memory card filling up depending on how much stuff you save.

That being said, it is about a $70 difference. The question is whether you can find a hard drive for less than $70 or whether you can find bioshock used for less than $70. My bet is that you could find bioshock for less than $70 and that your money is better spent with a little futureproofing of your system by getting the Premium that includes the HD already.

Whichever way you go, I'll expect you to jump on if only for the free XBL time that comes with Halo3 and play with us!

[subject 117]

I've been contemplating getting one of these for my wife and daughter. I have an extra 20GB HDD and could make a nice set up for them. I have a launch unit that doesn't have HDMI and I've upgraded to the 120GB HDD. I could get the HDMI that I want and set up a gaming console/media center extender for them. I was teaching my daughter how to play Hexic HD tonight and she really liked that.

That brings up another point. Isn't Hexic HD free? Why isn't MS including that info in the promotion of the "Arcade" SKU?

[Wallace Suka]

Hexic HD comes with the harddrive. So, microsoft wants to encourage people who gets the arcade model to buy the 20 gig or 120 gig HDD.

[HEAVYSET]

See, from what I've read so far, you all seem like a fun group, and I don't want to bore anyone with my gaming history, but it may help you understand where I'm coming from.

I'm 43. I didn't catch the gaming bug until around '98. A friend had a PS1 and NASCAR '98. I tried it and thought is was fun. Later, I purchased my own PS1 and tried GT2. My love for that game caused me to puchase a PS2 with GT3. I bought an Xbox because of Sega GT and PGR. You see the trend? I was only interested in racing games.

One day, nearly a year after it was released, I tried a little Halo on a friend's machine. I was apprehensive. I had never played any genre other than racing. I thought there was no way I could remember the control set, never mind how to get past more than a few enemies. But it was great! The controls were easy to learn, and the story and action pulled me in. Halo became my benchmark for all other FPSs.

As for multiplayer, I've since tried many different genres, but only racing suited me. I logged many a mile in PGR 2. Tried Forza, couldn't get into it. PGR 2 just flat had it. But even that got old after awhile. I tried Halo 2, and found it to be too fast paced for me. I'm a laid back guy, and like to play FPSs at by own pace. No jumping around like some psychotic frog trying to evade hostile fire.

So, long story short, it's single player for me from now on.

But I get where everyone is coming from. There is always that "What if?" factor. There is a bunch of stuff in the Pro bundle that I don't need, but it is essentially getting a hdd for only $70.

The wallet says "ARCADE", but the brain says "Pro". Pro it is.

Thanks for the advice.

[Peench]

Good choice!

And for the records, I probably couldn't count the times a new member at PGL has commented:

"I had all but given up on multiplayer games until I found PGL."

It warms my heart and makes me happy we put in the time and effort to keep this place running.

Hopefully we'll see you online someday soon. If not for Halo3, then for PGR4, or the new Burnout when it is released.

[subject 117]

Originally Posted by HEAVYSET

I don't want to bore anyone with my gaming history, but it may help you understand where I'm coming from.

Not to pull the thread off topic, and not to bore anyone, but here goes. I've been gaming since Pong, 43 here too. I never liked FPS's. I tried the Halo demo and hated it! I have nephews that are about 25 now and they talked me into trying it again. I sat down one day and was determined to find out what the attraction was. I finally took some time to learn the controls and found out I could change the up/down look (inverted control.) Anyway, I got hooked. I wasn't repulsed by the FPS view anymore and embraced it. I have played some public rooms in Halo 2, but I really found the greatest fun in a room full of friends. Whether serious matches or playing rockets in close quarters just to enjoy the ragdoll physics, what a blast!

All online play doesn't have to be serious. Find the right like-minded people and go for it. I played a lot of cat and mouse with friends in PGR2, that was just a lot of messing around and non-stop laughter. In fact I was pulling an all nighter in PGR2 and found out about some mature gamers forums like this one.

Good choice on the Pro, gives you more options right away. I bet those arcade disks will start showing up used in Gamestop or on Ebay fairly quickly.

[HEAVYSET]

Originally Posted by subject 117

All online play doesn't have to be serious. Find the right like-minded people and go for it. I played a lot of cat and mouse with friends in PGR2, that was just a lot of messing around and non-stop laughter. In fact I was pulling an all nighter in PGR2 and found out about some mature gamers forums like this one.

That was my problem, I did take it serious. PGR 2 was the sole reason I tried XBL. I had the game, got pretty good at it, and thought I was competitive enough to play on Live. My first time, I hit Quickmatch and was lucky enough to be put into a room with a great host who knew how to run it. There were top notch players there for me to learn from. Guys that ran top 10 times on the weekly challenges, without wallriding. I wasn't near as fast as them , but earned enough of their respect for how I raced to receive FRs from them.

If someone new joined and took out the field in the first corner, they were on probation for the rest of the race. Screw up again, and you're gone.

I loved it that way. Serious racing. Driving the cars and tracks as they were meant to be driven. I couldn't stand C&M and LMS. I thought that was what Burnout was for.

I had many an enjoyable hour with PGR 2 on XBL, but it didn't last. We gradually went our separate ways. Most of them had 360s and understandably were ready to move on and leave me behind.

Paying the price the next day for pulling one too many "all nighters" was the main reason I dropped XBL. As it stands now, I don't miss it at all. But I won't swear it off forever. I can imagine I'd catch the bug again with the right game.